There’s quality sushi to be had even deep in residential Setagaya, more than an hour by train from Tsukiji fish market. A casual standing-only spot found along a busy shopping street near Kyodo Station, Syo maintains its popularity among the locals with a simple recipe: fresh, quality fish at extremely reasonable prices. The shop’s ‘master’ sources the finest seasonal fare directly from Tsukiji every morning. All nigiri are served on wooden plates and cost between ¥100 and ¥300; we recommend the akami (the red part of tuna), which is always slightly fattier than your usual blood-red slab of maguro but goes for a mere ¥200.
Orders are made by calling on the chef; if you don’t know the names of the fish or have trouble deciding, simply point at anything in the glass showcase in front of the counter – just like the locals. All meals end with a bowl of warm miso soup with seaweed. Syo seats only eight to ten at a time, which makes it easy to strike up conversation with the chefs and locals over sake. Just don’t linger too long, as there’s always someone waiting for a seat outside.